Temperature alarm and indicator for car axle-boxes.



Patentgd Apr. 9, |90I.

R. G. C ALLUM. TEMPERATURE ALARM AND INDIBATIJR FUR CAR AXLE BOXES.

(Application led Oct. 5, 1899.)

(No Model.)

i IlNrrr-tn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT G. CALLUM, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO 'II-IE` CALLUM FIRE SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TEMPERATURE ALARM ANDINDICATOR FOR CAR `AXLE-BOXES.-

srnctttca'rroiv arming part er Letters ratent No. 671,813, dated Api-i1 9, i901. Appneation fnea october 5, 1899. Y semi No. 732,682. du muda.)

To a/Z whomzlt `may concern: `closed circuit with a bell and an annunciator Be it. known that I, ROBERTG. CALLUM, a drop and battery on said car. Each car of a citizen of the United States, residing at Washtrain is not only equipped in this manner, but ington, in the District of Columbia, haveinthe circuit-changers of the thermostats on all 55 5 vented certain new and useful Improvements the axle-boxes of each car are in open circuit in Temperature Alarms and Indicators for with a bell and an annunciator in the cab of Car Axle-Boxes; and I do declare the follow-` the locomotive. Each circuit-changer is so ing to be a full, clear, and exact description adjusted as to open the closed circuit at a of the invention, such as will enable others `predetermined degree of heat, which is nsu- 6o xo skilled in the art to which it appertains to ally much higher thanthat to which the axlemake and use the same, reference being had box is exposed' under normal conditions. to the accompanying drawings, and to the let- Opening one of the closed circuits causes the ters of reference marked thereon, which form bell to ring and the indicating-drop of the ana part of this specification. nunciator within the car on that circuit to 65 I 5 Myinvention relatestoatemperaturealarm fall, thus disclosing which axle-box requires and indicating system designed to be applied attention. Should, however, no attention be to railway-car axle-boxes, whereby the conpaid to the warning thus given and the tem- ,ductor, brakeman, or engineer of a railwayperature of the axle-box continues to rise, the train will-receive warning by an audible sigcircuit-changer will close the open circuit 7o zo nal within the car or the cab of the locomothrough the cab-annunciatorbeforeit reaches tive that the temperature of one or more of the danger-point, which point can be set on the axle-boxes is dangerously high, and by a the circuit-changer to any degree desired. Visual signal the particular car and the indi- Closingthe open circuit will cause the annun- `vidual axle-box on that car calling for atten-` ciator-drop in the cab of the locomotive to fall 75 z5 tion will be indicated. and show the engineer on which car an over- It often occurs on trains at the present day, heated journal-box may be found. On obespecially such as travel at high speeds, that serving this signal the engineer will stop his one or several of the axle-boxes on the cars train and have the defect attended to. heat through friction resulting from poor and In the drawings, Figure l is a diagram of 8o 30 inadequatelubrication orothercauses,\vhich, a railway-car, showing thermostats applied if not attended to immediately, will continue to the axle-boxes and the closed circuits'from to heat to such a degree as to cause the packthem to a battery, a bell, and an annunciator ing and lubricating material within the axlewithin the car and to open-circuit connecbox to take ire,theresultbeing delayed trains, tions through similar instruments in the cab 85 35 interruption of traffic by possible burning of of the locomotive. Fig. 2 is a side elevation the car itself, causing great alarm and even of a car axle-box, showing the thermostat in danger to the passengers, as well as serious place thereon and the circuit-wires leading ioss to the railroad company. therefrom. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the So far as I am aware no successful means car axle-box partly broken away, and FigxflE 9o 4o has yet been devised to overcome the annoyis a View of the interior of the thermostat.

ance and danger of a hot box, the great de- Referring to the drawings, A indicates a sideratum being to discover in its incipiency car supported on wheels B, the axles of which the abnormalincrease in temperature of the` have their journals supported in the usual axle-box and correct the evil at that time, beboxes C. Cast with or attached to one side 95 45 fore the heat gets sufficiently high to volatil-" of each j ournal-box is an outwardly-extendize the lubricating material and cause i't to ing annular iiange c, covered by a cap c', seignite. cured to the iiange c by screws or other means,

The defects above noted I have overcome and within the circular recess thus formed by applying to or in close proximity to each and bearing against Vthe side of the axle-box roo 5o axle-box on a car a thermostat arranged to opis fixed a thermostat D, the internal arrangeerate a circuit-changer in an independent mentof which is illustrated in Fig. 4. With- Kgrghon--each axle-box C. A closed independent three wires d, cl2, and cl3 to binding-posts c2,

in the thermostat-casing is a circuit-changer D', hereinafter described, from which lead c3, and c4, screwed to but insulated from the axle-box. I have shown the Wires as passing through a hole formed near the bottom of the axle-box, the object of this arrangement being to carry the wires to the inner side of the axle-box without exposing them and where they will be safe frommolestation.

The thermostat is inclosed in a case d, the face of which carries a dial and a circular scale divided into degrees. A. thermostatcoil D2 of the usual character is fixed at one end Within the case, its opposite end being secured to a toothed sector'D3 on a shaft D4. The sector D3, which oscillates as the coil D2 is expanded and contracted by the temperature of the surrounding` air, turns a pinion D5 on a shaft D6, projecting through the face of the case CZ, on which shaft a pointer D7 is fastened. Screwed to the case d above the coil D2 is a circuit-changer D', constructed of an insulated block d4, having two metallic arms d5 d6 depending therefrom and a metallic spring-finger @Z7 extending downvvardlj7 between and below lthe lower ends of said arms. Two screws d8 df are threaded into the arms d5 d6, respectively. A pin d10 in the toothed sector D3 gradually approaches the lower end of the spring-finger (i7 as the coil D2 expands by heat imparted to the air Within the case D and to the case itself from the side of the axle-box. The screw d8 is so adjusted that the pin d10 will strike the spring-finger @Z7 and open the closed circuit the instant the axlebox becomes overheated, the degree of heat to which the axle-box is raised before this action takes place being regulated by the screw. As the temperature of the axle-box increases the pin d10 will push the spring-finger CF away from the screw d8 and into contact with the screw Z9 and establish a circuit through the wires d2 d3.

Within each car is placed a battery Ea bell F, and an annunciator G, the latter having as many annunciator-drops as there are axle-boxes on the car. From the binding-post c2 of each axle-box C a wire e is connected to the electromagnet of one of the an nunciatordrops g, while a Wire e common to all the electromagnets connects them through the bell F to the battery E. A return-wire e2 from the battery leads to the binding-post c3 circuit is thus formed between the battery through each circuit-closer D in the thermostat-box, one of the annunciator-drops g, and the bell F. v t

A wire h from each binding-post c4 of each axle-box on a car is connected to a wire h',

which leads directly to an annunciator H, l

placed in the cab of the locomotive which draws the train. From the annunciator II another wire h2 leads through a bell I to a battery J., from whence the return-circuit is made through a wire h3 to the binding-posts c2 on the axle-boxes. Each car of a train being thus equipped, when an axle-box becomes so hot as to close this circuit, which is a normally open one, leading to the locomotive, the bell J will ring and the annunciator H ind-icate on which car a hot box is to be found. It will be observed that the attention of the engineer is not called to the individual axle-box which is thus overheated, but to the car on which the box is carried, and only after the conductor and brakeman had been notified. The engineers signal being only an emergency one it is deemed suflicient to indicate to him the number of the car and not the particular axle-box which is defective.

Any Well-known or readily-arranged means for connecting the lead-Wires 7?. when the cars are coupled maybe used. If desired,they can run through the usual bell-cord on the train.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. The combination of a thermostat secured to or near each axle-box of a car, a circuitcontroller in proximity to each thermostat, an electric circuit from each circuit-controller to an annunciator in the car, and a second circuit common to all the circuit-controllers on the car or train extending to the cab of the at- 'cached locomotive7 substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a car axle-box, a thermostat, a closed electric circuit through an indicator placed within a car, said closed circuit adapted to be opened when the heat of the axle-box reaches a predetermined degree, and an open circuit also controlled by the thermostat for closing said open circuit 'through an indicator in the cab of a locomotive when the temperature reaches a predetermined higher degree of heat, substantially as set forth.

3. In a temperature-indicator for car axleboxes, the combination of a thermostat secured to or near each axle-box of a car, independent circuits each being controlled by a thermostat, an annunciator within the car having a drop for each circuit, a second circuit including an annunciator in the cab of an attached locomotive and controlled by any one of the thermostats on the car, and means for opening and closing the circuits, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT G. OALLUM.

Vit-nesses:

M. G. ANDERSON, W. TAYLOR.

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